MI - FINDING THE MAIN IDEA
The main idea of a reading passage is a sentence that tells what the passage is mostly about. Questions about main idea might ask you to find what a passage is mostly about or mainly about. The questions might also ask you to choose the best title for a passage. When answering a question about main idea, ask yourself, What is the passage mostly about? Then choose your answer.
Choose three different paragraphs from your book. What is the main idea of each paragraph? What is the main idea of the book?
FD - RECALLING FACTS AND DETAILS
Every reading passage contains facts and details. The facts and details tell more about the main idea. Questions about facts and details ask you about something that was stated in the passage. To answer a question about a fact or detail, look back to the passage to find the answer.
Write down 10 interesting facts about your book. They could be about about the character, the setting or the plot.
US - UNDERSTANDING SEQUENCE
Sometimes, a passage is told in order or sequence. Different things happen at the beginning, middle and ending of a passage. Questions about sequence ask you to remember and put events or details in order. Questions about sequence often contain key words such as first, then, last, after or before.
List 8 things that happen in the book you are reading, in the order they occur. Use words such as first, then, last after and before.
CE - RECOGNISING CAUSE AND EFFECT
A cause is something that happens. An effect is something that happens because of the cause. Read this sentence: ‘I forgot to set my alarm clock, so I was late for school.’ The cause of being late for school was forgetting to set the alarm clock. The effect of forgetting to set the alarm clock is being late for school. Questions about cause and effect usually begin with the key words why, what happened or because.
Imagine you are asking someone questions about why events happen in your book. Write 5 question about why something happens. Answer them as well! Use the words why, what happened or because.
CC - COMPARING AND CONTRASTING
Some questions ask you to find how two things are alike or different. This is called compare and contrast or finding likenesses and differences. Questions that ask you to compare or contrast usually contain key words such as most like, different, alike or similar.
Compare and contrast three characters from the book you are reading. How are they similar? How are they different?
MP - MAKING PREDICTIONS
A prediction is something you think will happen in the future. Questions about predictions ask what will probably or most likely happen next. You will not find the answer to these questions in the passage. But there are clues you can use from the passage to make a good guess about what might happen next.
Write a paragraph about what you think will happen next in the book you are reading. Make sure that it is reasonable, based on what you have read previously.
WM - FINDING WORD MEANING IN CONTEXT
Sometimes when you read, you find a word whose meaning you do not know. Often you can tell the meaning of the word by the way the word is used in the sentence. This is called understanding word meaning in context. Questions about meaning in context ask you to find the meaning of a word that may not be familiar to you. If you have trouble choosing an answer for a question like this, try each answer choice in the sentence where the word appears in the passage. See which answer choice makes the most sense.
As you are reading write down 7 unfamiliar or unusual words. Write what you think these words mean from looking at the sentence and paragraph. Then write down a dictionary definition
CI - DRAWING CONCLUSIONS AND MAKING INFERENCES
When you read, many times you must figure out things on your own. The author doesn’t always tell you everything. For example, you might read these sentences: ‘The moon cast an eerie glow in Jake’s room. Suddenly, he saw a shadow by the window. Jake sat up in bed, frozen with fear.’ From what the author has written, you can tell that it is probably night-time, because the moon is out and Jake is in bed. Questions about drawing conclusions often contain the key words you can tell or probably.
Find 3-5 sentences in the book you are reading where the author infers that something is happening. That means he or she doesn't tell you exactly what is happening but you can guess from what is written. Write down each sentence and also what you can infer from reading it.
FO - DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN FACT AND OPINION
Questions about facts and opinions ask you to find which statements are fact statements and which statements are opinion statements. Remember, a fact is something that is true. An opinion tells how a person feels about something. Facts can be proven. Opinions cannot. Statements that are opinions often contain key words such as most, best, nicest and greatest.
Make up a table with the headings FACT and OPINION. Write down at least 7 facts and 7 opinions from the book you are reading
IDENTIFYING AUTHOR’S PURPOSE
Questions about author’s purpose ask you why the author wrote the passage. Most authors write for one of these reasons: to persuade (make someone want to do something), to give information, to describe or to entertain. You can remember these four reasons by remembering P.I.D.E. – P for persuade, I for information, D for description and E for entertain.
Choose 2 paragraphs from the book you are reading. Explain the author's purpose (P.I.D.E.) for each paragraph and give reasons for your answer. INTERPRETING FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
Sometimes, writers use words in such a way that their meaning is different from their usual meaning. For example, someone who has told a secret might say, ‘I spilled the beans.’ This is an example of figurative language. These words do not mean that the person actually spilled some beans. These words mean ‘I didn’t mean to tell the secret.’
Find at least 3 examples of figurative language in the book you are reading and explain what the sentence actually means. If you cannot find any examples in your book, try another one!
SUMMARISING
Questions about the best summary of a passage ask you about the main points of the passage. When you answer questions about summary, first ask yourself, What is the main idea of the passage? A good summary is closer to the main idea than to any single detail found in the passage.
Choose 3 paragraphs from the book you are reading and write a summary of each paragraph.
The main idea of a reading passage is a sentence that tells what the passage is mostly about. Questions about main idea might ask you to find what a passage is mostly about or mainly about. The questions might also ask you to choose the best title for a passage. When answering a question about main idea, ask yourself, What is the passage mostly about? Then choose your answer.
Choose three different paragraphs from your book.
What is the main idea of each paragraph?
What is the main idea of the book?
FD - RECALLING FACTS AND DETAILS
Every reading passage contains facts and details. The facts and details tell more about the main idea. Questions about facts and details ask you about something that was stated in the passage. To answer a question about a fact or detail, look back to the passage to find the answer.
Write down 10 interesting facts about your book. They could be about about the character, the setting or the plot.
US - UNDERSTANDING SEQUENCE
Sometimes, a passage is told in order or sequence. Different things happen at the beginning, middle and ending of a passage. Questions about sequence ask you to remember and put events or details in order. Questions about sequence often contain key words such as first, then, last, after or before.
List 8 things that happen in the book you are reading, in the order they occur. Use words such as first, then, last after and before.
CE - RECOGNISING CAUSE AND EFFECT
A cause is something that happens. An effect is something that happens because of the cause. Read this sentence: ‘I forgot to set my alarm clock, so I was late for school.’ The cause of being late for school was forgetting to set the alarm clock. The effect of forgetting to set the alarm clock is being late for school. Questions about cause and effect usually begin with the key words why, what happened or because.
Imagine you are asking someone questions about why events happen in your book.
Write 5 question about why something happens. Answer them as well! Use the words why, what happened or because.
CC - COMPARING AND CONTRASTING
Some questions ask you to find how two things are alike or different. This is called compare and contrast or finding likenesses and differences. Questions that ask you to compare or contrast usually contain key words such as most like, different, alike or similar.
Compare and contrast three characters from the book you are reading. How are they similar? How are they different?
MP - MAKING PREDICTIONS
A prediction is something you think will happen in the future. Questions about predictions ask what will probably or most likely happen next. You will not find the answer to these questions in the passage. But there are clues you can use from the passage to make a good guess about what might happen next.
Write a paragraph about what you think will happen next in the book you are reading. Make sure that it is reasonable, based on what you have read previously.
WM - FINDING WORD MEANING IN CONTEXT
Sometimes when you read, you find a word whose meaning you do not know. Often you can tell the meaning of the word by the way the word is used in the sentence. This is called understanding word meaning in context. Questions about meaning in context ask you to find the meaning of a word that may not be familiar to you. If you have trouble choosing an answer for a question like this, try each answer choice in the sentence where the word appears in the passage. See which answer choice makes the most sense.
As you are reading write down 7 unfamiliar or unusual words. Write what you think these words mean from looking at the sentence and paragraph. Then write down a dictionary definition
CI - DRAWING CONCLUSIONS AND MAKING INFERENCES
When you read, many times you must figure out things on your own. The author doesn’t always tell you everything. For example, you might read these sentences: ‘The moon cast an eerie glow in Jake’s room. Suddenly, he saw a shadow by the window. Jake sat up in bed, frozen with fear.’ From what the author has written, you can tell that it is probably night-time, because the moon is out and Jake is in bed. Questions about drawing conclusions often contain the key words you can tell or probably.
Find 3-5 sentences in the book you are reading where the author infers that something is happening. That means he or she doesn't tell you exactly what is happening but you can guess from what is written.
Write down each sentence and also what you can infer from reading it.
FO - DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN FACT AND OPINION
Questions about facts and opinions ask you to find which statements are fact statements and which statements are opinion statements. Remember, a fact is something that is true. An opinion tells how a person feels about something. Facts can be proven. Opinions cannot. Statements that are opinions often contain key words such as most, best, nicest and greatest.
Make up a table with the headings FACT and OPINION.
Write down at least 7 facts and 7 opinions from the book you are reading
IDENTIFYING AUTHOR’S PURPOSE
Questions about author’s purpose ask you why the author wrote the passage. Most authors write for one of these reasons: to persuade (make someone want to do something), to give information, to describe or to entertain. You can remember these four reasons by remembering P.I.D.E. – P for persuade, I for information, D for description and E for entertain.
Choose 2 paragraphs from the book you are reading.
Explain the author's purpose (P.I.D.E.) for each paragraph and give reasons for your answer.
INTERPRETING FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
Sometimes, writers use words in such a way that their meaning is different from their usual meaning. For example, someone who has told a secret might say, ‘I spilled the beans.’ This is an example of figurative language. These words do not mean that the person actually spilled some beans. These words mean ‘I didn’t mean to tell the secret.’
Find at least 3 examples of figurative language in the book you are reading and explain what the sentence actually means.
If you cannot find any examples in your book, try another one!
SUMMARISING
Questions about the best summary of a passage ask you about the main points of the passage. When you answer questions about summary, first ask yourself, What is the main idea of the passage? A good summary is closer to the main idea than to any single detail found in the passage.
Choose 3 paragraphs from the book you are reading and write a summary of each paragraph.